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Buying a New Laptop - Recommendations?

Hi! I'm a first year university student looking for a new laptop that won't kill my back while I'm carrying it around the campus and will last until I'm done in about five years. I've been looking into getting a Netbook lately, but I know that's not really what I've been wanting. I want a proper laptop with all the features (optical drive, lots of space for music and other media and notes, etc).

What I'm looking for is something that's light weight, has a long battery life (like "up to 6 hours" or longer, maybe?), and won't kill my budget (no more than $700).

I would love some suggestions on what you think is good and am open to anything.

Re: Buying a New Laptop - Recommendations?

I don't usually suggest them, but given what you're looking for, I'd actually recommend a MacBook. Though it's a bit above your price range, it's quite portable and not too heavy, has an optical drive and enough space for media and schoolwork, and touts a ten hour battery life. Most laptops running Windows have a battery that will last around three to four hours, and a Windows laptop that has the battery life you're looking for will be a netbook, which won't have an optical drive. Apple laptops are also well-known for their reliability and staying power. The only real concern is if you need to run Windows applications, in which case you'd need to spend even more to get a copy of Windows on the MacBook.

Re: Buying a New Laptop - Recommendations?

You definitely don't want a netbook, you need something that will be comfortable to work with at school and at home. Also it seems you want something that will be useful for 5 years.

I would suggest a laptop with around a 13 or 14 inch screen as the ideal compromise betwen size and portability. Battery life is always an issue, but there are usually a few decent options around, if you don't plan on doing any intensive PC gaming on your laptop.

I like this 13.3" Acer which has a little bit of everything to keep you busy and nearly 10 hours of battery...too bad it doesn't have an optical drive...

For a bit more money, this other 13.3" Acer would provide a similar experience and 9 hour battery life while including an internal optical drive. I think the latter Acer is an all-round good fit for students in general.

Re: Buying a New Laptop - Recommendations?

There are plenty of laptops out there, but if you aren't into something flashy, don't mind spending the money, and want a laptop that will last a long time and run linux well out of the box, go with a thinkpad. Preferrably one with an intel processor and intel graphics.